Fun campaign with some frustrating side-levels.
Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure is the third game I purchased since I got my Nintendo 3DS a month ago. I was pretty psyched about it after playing the demo on the 3DS e-shop which reminded me of the fun I had with other rhythm games such as Elite Beat Agents on the previous generation’s Nintendo DS. While Rhythm Thief is savagely satisfying when you get the beat right, it can also be massively frustrating due to several poor design choices particularly when playing the side-levels not associated with the main story thread.
Rhythm Thief is a rhythm game that involves you moving around France in a grid map akin to the world map found in Mario games and interacting with people and the environment found in each node on the map. You find anything from rhythm game challenges to coins used to purchase game cutscenes or bonus power-up items that make a level easier. You will also find a couple of different collectibles scattered across the environments as you make your way through the game. While the hunt for collectibles is completely optional and can be a little bit of a pixel-hunt at times, the items are relatively easy to find and there is a satisfying feel associated with it.
The main cast of characters is likeable, if a little fantastical although they do a good job of keeping you invested in the game’s plot. The story itself is rather light but is genuinely interesting and does a really good job of connecting each of the gameplay moments together and as a result provides the campaign with a good flow. The pacing of this game can be a bit slow at times favouring exposition rather than actual rhythm gameplay: think Professor Layton but with rhythm games rather than puzzles (although the occasional rhythm puzzles do come up every now and again). In fact the game also sports a charming character art-style very reminiscent of Professor Layton characters. The game cutscenes are of high quality and the 3D is great.
The gameplay itself is challenging but fair. It takes a bit of time to get used to each of the different game type’s button input mechanics but once you understand how it works the game becomes really satisfying. The rhythm and the beats feel great and the tune is represented accurately when you are performing well. Completing levels in the game unlocks those levels for casual play (with your score included). While there are extra secrets to unlock once you have completed the main story, the main replayability of Rhythm Thief comes in the form of trying to beat your high-score. While this is fun to do, the scoring system can be a bit harsh.
The scoring system puts emphasis on not screwing up button/stylus-inputs during the later parts of the tune so ultimately you get penalized more if you make more mistakes towards the end of a tune rather than at the start. This would have been a minor detail if it were not for the severity of the penalties towards the end of a tune. Getting 49/50 inputs correct can result in a B rank (next highest rank after A which is the top) if the mistake happened on the 50th input (this also depends on the difficulty of the level you are in). This becomes more of an evident problem if you make several mistakes in the later part of a tune; say for example a score of 45/50 being declared a D rank. It’s not a major problem but it can suck out much of the satisfaction to be had from the game. Unfortunately there is also a scoring bug in the game that makes it possible to override an A rank score with one of a lower rank that has a higher numerical score associated to it. For instance you may have previously gotten a high score of 40/50 which gave you an A rank since you only made mistakes at the earlier parts of a level. Say you replayed the level and achieved 49/50 and messed up the 50th input. You may end up getting a B with a higher numerical score. The game would then override your previous A rank with a B. This isn’t much of a game breaker but it can get really annoying if you are trying to get a full A record.
Unfortunately the difficulty of the game can be a little unreasonable towards the end of the game’s main story. The compulsory levels to advance the story themselves are not overly hard but rather the bulk of the side-levels are massively hard. Not only does the window of success for each button-input become tighter, the amount of attention the game demands from you also increases to a point where it just seems cluttered. Of course this alone wouldn’t be reason enough to dismiss this game. The true shame comes from the fact that the tunes in these side-levels often seem to not mesh as well with the button-inputs as the tunes in the main story levels. Most (there are exceptions) of the levels from the main campaign boasts a great blend between the mechanics, button-prompts and tune providing players with a fun experience and allowing them to rely completely on the beat if they wanted to. Quite a few of the side-levels on the other hand feels like it is trying to incorporate gameplay mechanics that don’t necessarily work well with the chosen tunes. This made the extra levels in the game less fun and more often than not quite frustrating. Pairing this with the fact that the game often explains the mechanics of each level minimally, it can be unreasonably hard to understand what you are doing wrong in a particular level. Fortunately these levels make up only a small part of the game and are completely optional.
In summary I think this game has an interesting plot and a great cast of characters, and while the main levels of the game are really fun and satisfying, a considerable number of the side-levels are more frustrating than fun. I would recommend this game to players who are big rhythm game fans and to those who are patient. Much time will be spent retrying levels to get the feel of the controls and mostly it is fun but occasionally there are a few annoying ones that players will just have to move on from and live with.